In a recent interview with HBO Real Sports, former Auburn football playerStanley McClover alleged that while he was a current player at the school, an Auburn assistant football coach provided him extra benefits that would be considered a violation of NCAA rules.

As part of a Real Sports episode on the “State of College Sports in America” to be aired March 30 on HBO, I’ve been told McClover names the assistant coach in the piece.

The accused assistant coach is no longer at the school.

The allegation against the Auburn football program by McClover, who left the school in January 2006, falls outside the NCAA’s standard statute of limitation guidline of four years, with one notable exception.

NCAA rule 32.6.3 Statute of Limitations: Allegations included in a notice of allegations shall be limited to possible violations occurring not earlier than four years before the date the notice of inquiry is forwarded to the institution or the date the institution notifies (or, if earlier, should have notified) the enforcement staff of its inquiries into the matter. However, the following shall not be subject to the four-year limitation:

(a) Allegations involving violations affecting the eligibility of a current student-athlete;

(b) Allegations in a case in which information is developed to indicate a pattern of willful violations on the part of the institution or individual involved, which began before but continued into the four-year period; and

(c) Allegations that indicate a blatant disregard for the Association’s fundamental recruiting, extra-benefit, academic or ethical-conduct regulations or that involve an effort to conceal the occurrence of the violation. In such cases, the enforcement staff shall have a one-year period after the date information concerning the matter becomes available to the NCAA to investigate and submit to the institution a notice of allegations concerning the matter.

Part C of the rule may leave the door open for the NCAA to pursue an allegation made after the standard four-year period has expired.

An email sent earlier today to an NCAA spokesperson for clarification on the rule was not returned.

McClover did not return a Facebook message to his personal account and an HBO spokesman, when contacted, had no comment.

So what prompted McClover to make such allegations through HBO five years after leaving Auburn?

Perhaps it has something to do with a February 19 entry McClover posted on the website of a charity he runs. An entry that noted HBO would be filming a McClover-organized gathering in south Florida this Sunday.

Last week I reported that former Mississippi State player Kenny Rogers, who implicated CamNewton’s father Cecil in a pay-for-play scheme involving MSU, would also be interviewed for the HBO Real Sports episode focusing on college sports.

I’ve since been told that interview took place yesterday.

UPDATE: When reached via Facebook message, McClover replied, “Sorry but I have no comment.”